How much is the Medicare Part B premium in 2026?
The standard Medicare Part B premium for 2026 is $202.90 per month, up $17.90 from $185.00 in 2025. The 2026 Part B annual deductible is $283, up from $257. Higher-income beneficiaries pay more: with 2024 MAGI above $109,000 (single) or $218,000 (joint), monthly premiums range from $284.10 up to $689.90.
How much did the Medicare Part B premium increase for 2026?
The 2026 premium rose $17.90 per month, a 9.7 percent increase and the largest jump since 2022 in the chart below. The deductible rose $26 to $283.
| Year | Standard premium / mo | Change | Percent | Annual deductible | Deductible change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $144.60 | +$9.10 | +6.7% | $198 | |
| 2021 | $148.50 | +$3.90 | +2.7% | $203 | +$5 |
| 2022 | $170.10 | +$21.60 | +14.5% | $233 | +$30 |
| 2023 | $164.90 | -$5.20 | -3.1% | $226 | -$7 |
| 2024 | $174.70 | +$9.80 | +5.9% | $240 | +$14 |
| 2025 | $185.00 | +$10.30 | +5.9% | $257 | +$17 |
| 2026 | $202.90 | +$17.90 | +9.7% | $283 | +$26 |
Every figure verified against the primary announcement: the year's Federal Register notice (2020 to 2024) or CMS fact sheet (2025, 2026). Announcement dates and citations: 2020 announced November 13, 2019 (84 FR 61625); 2021 announced November 12, 2020 (85 FR 71904); 2022 announced November 17, 2021 (86 FR 64205); 2023 announced September 29, 2022 (87 FR 59080); 2024 announced October 17, 2023 (88 FR 71555); 2025 announced November 8, 2024 (CMS fact sheet; 89 FR 90002); 2026 announced November 14, 2025 (CMS fact sheet; 90 FR 52063).
Three years in the chart tell their own story. The small 2021 increase of $3.90 was capped by Congress in the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2021. The 14.5 percent spike in 2022 reflected pandemic costs and contingency reserves for Aduhelm, a newly approved Alzheimer's drug, per the Federal Register notice. And 2023 is the only decrease in the chart: the premium fell $5.20 after those 2022 reserves proved larger than needed.
The chart shows the standard amount. What you actually pay depends on your income, and the IRMAA calculator works out your exact 2026 premium from your 2024 tax numbers.
How much was the Part B premium in 2025?
The 2025 standard Part B premium was $185.00 per month, and the 2025 annual deductible was $257. Those amounts were keyed to your 2023 tax return, and the 2025 income tiers sit lower than the 2026 ones. The complete 2025 tables, including Part D surcharges, are on the 2025 IRMAA brackets page.
What is the Part B premium by income in 2026?
Premiums are income-based. At or below $109,000 MAGI single ($218,000 joint) on your 2024 return, you pay the standard $202.90. Above that, IRMAA surcharges apply. MAGI here means your adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest; the MAGI guide explains what counts and what does not.
| MAGI, single filer | MAGI, married filing jointly | Monthly IRMAA surcharge | Total Part B premium | Share of program cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ $109,000 | ≤ $218,000 | $0.00 | $202.90 | 25% |
| > $109,000 – ≤ $137,000 | > $218,000 – ≤ $274,000 | $81.20 | $284.10 | 35% |
| > $137,000 – ≤ $171,000 | > $274,000 – ≤ $342,000 | $202.90 | $405.80 | 50% |
| > $171,000 – ≤ $205,000 | > $342,000 – ≤ $410,000 | $324.60 | $527.50 | 65% |
| > $205,000 – < $500,000 | > $410,000 – < $750,000 | $446.30 | $649.20 | 80% |
| ≥ $500,000 | ≥ $750,000 | $487.00 | $689.90 | 85% |
Source: CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles fact sheet (announced November 14, 2025).
In plain terms: a single filer with 2024 MAGI of $140,000 pays $405.80 per month for Part B in 2026. A married couple filing jointly with MAGI of $300,000 pays the same rate, each. At the top, MAGI of $500,000 single or $750,000 joint means $689.90 per month. The IRMAA calculator pins down your tier and how much room you have before the next one; the bracket detail, Part D amounts, and the married-filing-separately table are on the full 2026 IRMAA brackets page.
The per-person rule surprises couples. When husband and wife are both on Medicare, each pays their own IRMAA on the same joint MAGI, so a couple one tier up pays the surcharge twice.
How is the Part B premium calculated each year?
By statute, the standard premium is set to cover about 25 percent of the Part B program's estimated cost per enrollee. General federal revenue covers the rest. Each fall CMS projects the coming year's spending on physician services, outpatient care, and Part B drugs, then sets the premium from that projection. For 2026 the arithmetic was half the $405.40 monthly actuarial rate for aged enrollees plus a $0.20 statutory repayment, which lands on $202.90.
Because the premium tracks projected spending, it moves every year, and not always upward. The chart above includes a decrease. CMS announced the 2026 amount on November 14, 2025 and the 2025 amount on November 8, 2024; announcements typically land in the fall, most recently November. A niche exception: people whose Medicare covers only immunosuppressive drugs after a kidney transplant pay $121.60 per month in 2026.
Does the hold-harmless rule limit my increase?
Sometimes, and less often than most summaries suggest. The hold-harmless rule, 42 U.S.C. §1395r(f), says that if your Part B premium is deducted from your Social Security benefit, the dollar increase in your premium cannot exceed the dollar increase in your benefit from that year's cost-of-living adjustment. Your net Social Security check cannot shrink because of a Part B increase alone.
The exceptions matter more than the rule. Hold-harmless does not protect anyone who pays an IRMAA surcharge; the statute excludes premiums adjusted for income. It does not cover people new to Medicare, who have no prior-year deduction to protect. And it does not apply to people who have not started Social Security benefits, because there is no check to deduct from. A blanket claim that premiums cannot rise faster than the COLA skips all three groups.
How do I pay the Part B premium?
If you receive Social Security benefits, Medicare deducts the premium from your monthly payment automatically. If you are enrolled in Part B but not yet drawing benefits, Medicare bills you directly. Any IRMAA surcharge is collected the same way, and it still applies inside a Medicare Advantage plan.
What if I cannot afford the Part B premium?
Medicare Savings Programs, applied for through your state's Medicaid office, can pay the Part B premium for beneficiaries with limited income and assets. Some Medicare Advantage plans also offer a Part B giveback that refunds part of the premium through your Social Security payment. Eligibility rules and how to apply are covered in the Part B premium help guide.
What will the Part B premium be in 2027?
Nobody knows yet. Any 2027 premium dollar figure circulating today is a projection, not an announcement. CMS sets each year's premium in the fall, so the official 2027 amount arrives in fall 2026. The income thresholds are a different story: they follow a published inflation formula and can be projected months early. Our 2027 bracket and premium projections page tracks those thresholds monthly and will carry the official premium the day CMS announces it.
Is the Part B premium tax deductible?
Generally yes, as a medical expense, if you itemize deductions and your total medical expenses clear the adjusted-gross-income floor. Filers who take the standard deduction get no benefit from it. This page is informational, not tax advice.